Orlando Montalvo sits and reminisces about his career in professional and amateur boxing at Montalvo’s Boxing Gym in Stamford, Conn., on Feb. 26, 2014. Montalvo, who won a bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics, was inducted into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame in November. less

Orlando Montalvo sits and reminisces about his career in professional and amateur boxing at Montalvo’s Boxing Gym in Stamford, Conn., on Feb. 26, 2014. Montalvo, who won a bronze medal at the 1976 Summer ... more

Their amateur boxing careers may be 40 years apart but Orlando Montalvo and Nick Scaturichio have plenty in common.

Not only does Scaturichio fight in the same light flyweight division that Montalvo took home a bronze in during the 1976 Olympics, but both share an undying love for the sport.

Each also brought back high honors to the city of Stamford in the last two months.

In November, Montalvo was inducted into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame and a few weeks later it was Scaturichio taking home the 108 pound 2016 USA Boxing Elite Championship at the KCI Expo Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

“It felt great to be honored and to go into the hall of fame,” Montalvo said. “I was very surprised when they told me I got in. I did not believe they would elect me but I got put up for the vote and I got in. I am very proud and feel proud my wife and family got to see me. It is too bad my mother, may she rest in peace, was not there but I know she would be proud, too.”

Montalvo has run a boxing gym in Stamford since 1980 along with his wife, Sandra.

The Montalvos moved to Stamford in 1980, training amateur fighters for 20 years in parks and their backyard until relocating to the Union Memorial Church for seven years before opening Montalvo’s Boxing Gym at 792 Pacific Street in 2006.

Montalvo began fighting in his native Puerto Rico, circling the globe for fights. He won 110 of 125 amateur matches, including the 1976 Bronze in Montreal. He then came out on top of 22 of his 29 professional fights with 18 knockouts to his name. Montalvo climbed as high as the No. 10 ranking in the junior middleweight division as a professional.

He was inducted during the 12th annual Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame Gala Induction Ceremony and Awards Dinner, held in the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun with HBO “judge” and International Hall-of-Famer Harold Lederman serving as the event’s Master of Ceremonies.

Montalvo said he has had many standout moments in boxing but none as great as fighting for Puerto Rico in the Olympics.

“Representing my country in 1975 and ’76 was my proudest time,” Montalvo said. “I fought in Russia, Cuba, Panama and of course in Montreal. It was a special moment for myself. But everything about my life and history in boxing has been the best but especially fighting in the Olympics.”

The Olympics are where Stamford native Scaturichio someday hopes to find himself and winning the Boxing Elite Championship is only the first step of what he hopes is a spot on the 2020 U.S. Boxing team.

“After I fought the gold medalist at last year’s trials I knew I was the best fighter in my weight class,” Scaturichio said. “These are the best fighters in the United States I was competing against in the Elite Championship and I won both my matches unanimously. My ultimate goal is to hopefully go to the Olympics in 2020 but I will have to go with the flow until then and see what happens. Hopefully I go to the Olympics then I want to go pro and be the best ever.”

Scaturichio will have to win the Elite Championships in his weight class the next three years in order to qualify for the Olympic Trials for the 2020 games.

This year, he defeated two fighters in their backyards with one hailing from Kansas City and the other from Kansas.

After winning his opening three-round match by a 5-0 decision, he defeated Efrain Sanchez of Garden City, Kansas, 4-1, taking home the championship belt.

Next moth he will travel to Colorado Springs to train before heading off to the World Championships in Kazakhstan in February.

For now, he is back in Stamford savoring the Elite title.

“This was really exciting and a dream come true,” Scaturichio said. “I have won a few other national tournaments but this is the biggest national tournament you can win. This puts me on track to qualify for Team USA and that is where I want to be.”

If Scaturichio keeps it up, he could very well find himself following a similar path as Montalvo.

Winning an Olympic medal, going pro and being inducted into the state hall of fame all while making his hometown proud.